The Savings Game: For most, the risk of audit is low

10:38 PM,
Apr. 7, 2013

Written by

Anya Kamenetz
Tribune Media Services

Tax time is upon us. As my husband and I finished filing online, the software program asked if we wanted to purchase the company's audit defense for $39.95. I agreed without thinking much about it, but I realized I should probably have done a little research first.

Here's what we are promised for that extra fee: The company will defend our return from audits for seven years.

Is it worth it to pay extra for audit protection? The short answer is: probably not. To evaluate your risk of being audited consider these factors. ...